School Holiday Transport Stimulus Draws Strong Public Response

JAKARTA, Jakartaweekly.com — Indonesia’s transportation stimulus program during the 2026 school holiday drew strong public participation, with state-owned transportation operators PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero), PT PELNI (Persero), and PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) reporting high uptake of subsidized fares and ticket discounts.

PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) recorded 1,125,711 passengers using the School Holiday Transportation Stimulus Program between June 20 and July 5, 2026. During the period, the government disbursed Rp22.20 billion in ferry fare subsidies across eight strategic national ferry routes.

PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry President Director Heru Widodo said the program reflects close collaboration between the government and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in providing more affordable transportation while strengthening interregional connectivity.

“The School Holiday Transportation Stimulus Program is a tangible example of the synergy between the Government and SOEs in delivering more affordable transportation services for the public,” Heru said.

He said ASDP implemented the program by prioritizing safety, operational reliability, and service quality, enabling people to travel comfortably while supporting economic activity across the country.

The program reached 93.30% of its target of 1,206,585 beneficiaries. Subsidies disbursed totaled Rp22.20 billion, representing 82.33% of the allocated budget of Rp26.97 billion. During the program, ASDP served an average of 143,977 passengers per day.

Passenger and vehicle traffic reached 525,882, up 7.10% from the same period last year. The largest share of subsidies went to Class IVA vehicles, amounting to Rp17.87 billion, followed by Class II vehicles at Rp2.39 billion and foot passengers at Rp1.94 billion.

PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry Group Head of Commercial Shipping Business Rizki Dwianda said the high participation rate indicates that the government’s stimulus policy has effectively encouraged public mobility.

“For ASDP, the goal of every government stimulus program is to achieve full budget absorption so that the benefits provided by the government can be enjoyed as widely as possible,” he said.

During the program, ASDP also recorded higher average daily passenger volumes than those typically seen during regular holiday periods.

According to Rizki, strong public interest was also reflected in the large number of inquiries about when discounted ferry fares would be offered again.

“The more affordable transportation is, the greater the opportunity for people to travel. Therefore, ASDP remains committed to ensuring that all services operate with the highest standards of safety, operational reliability, and service excellence so that every government stimulus program can be fully utilized, strengthen national connectivity, and contribute to regional economic growth,” he said.

Meanwhile, PT PELNI (Persero) said its passenger fare discount program during the school holiday had benefited 674,444 passengers as of July 29, 2026. The program had utilized Rp66.55 billion, or 98.84%, of its projected budget of Rp67.33 billion.

PT PELNI Corporate Communication Manager Firdha Islamy said the fare discount program is part of the government’s economic stimulus package, offering a 30% discount on base fares for departures between June 20 and Aug. 15, 2026. As of July 29, the program had reached approximately 98.82% of its target of 693,690 passengers.

PELNI carried 782,613 passengers during the June 20-Aug. 15 period, equivalent to 90.02% of the 869,344 passengers transported during the same period last year.

Firdha said the discounts apply to base fares for tickets purchased through PELNI’s official website and the PELNI Mobile application.

For example, the base fare for the Surabaya-Makassar route is Rp309,000. Under the program, passengers receive a Rp92,700 discount, reducing the base fare to Rp216,300. After port charges and insurance are added, the final ticket price is Rp264,800.

According to PELNI, the average budget absorption rate across its transportation stimulus programs—from the 2025 school holiday through the 2026 Eid al-Fitr travel season—reached 99.33%, underscoring the effectiveness of fare discounts in boosting public mobility.

PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero), or KAI, also reported strong participation in its school holiday rail fare discount program. A total of 1,303,191 passengers used discounted tickets, representing 37.8% of the 3,451,031 rail passengers recorded between June 20 and July 5, 2026.

PT KAI Daop 1 Jakarta Public Relations Manager Franoto Wibowo said the number of passengers using the discount program rose 11% from a year earlier, increasing from 1,173,612 to 1,303,191.

Overall rail ridership increased 4% to 3,451,031 passengers from 3,326,281 a year earlier. The busiest travel day was July 5, when KAI served 254,939 passengers, the highest daily volume during the school holiday period.

KAI allocated 1,174,624 seats under the discount program. Ticket sales reached 1,303,191, equivalent to 110.95% of the initial seat allocation. KAI utilized Rp90.96 billion, or 94.53%, of its Rp96.22 billion budget allocation, leaving approximately Rp5.26 billion unspent.